Arizona Skies
by Santokae
Summary: Max and the flock live in Arizona with Dr. Martinez, in a huge cabin overlooking the canyons. Gazzy and Iggy are blowing stuff up, Nudge doesn't know when to shut it, and Fang is as mysterious as ever. Angel, however, has a deadly secret. She's seen a vision, one she can't bring herself to reveal. What will happen... when the birds fall? May contain lemons in later chapters.


"Yo, Max!"

I glanced up in the middle of my slashing wing holes in the back of an old dark blue hoodie I had rediscovered in my closet at Mom's house. My mom had bought it for me after I'd picked it out a couple of months ago. It had this awesome picture of a flying eagle on the front, with the words 'Fly High' below it. So cool, right? It suits me perfectly. You know, because of my WINGS and all. Yes, dear surprised reader, I, or more specifically, we, have wings. We, as in me and my flock, possess recombinant DNA- 98% human, 2% avian. In case you didn't know, 'avian' is fancy talk for 'bird.' Loooong story. If you didn't know that, read the previous books, ya ding-a-ling. Sheesh, you just pick up any random book in my series and start off there? Not a very etiquette reading technique, seriously.

So yeah, anyway. When I heard my name being hollered, I glanced up, the scissors I was using gripped in my hand hovering above the hoodie. "Yeah, Iggy?"

Iggy, strawberry-blonde hair ruffled from the wind and hanging in his cloudy blue eyes, dropped down from the sky and came to a running stop a few feet from the stairs of the porch I was lounging on, folding his wings only halfway to cool them off. "Gazzy said he saw a huge pond about four miles behind the cabin; can we go swimming in it?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

I set the scissors on the little wooden table sitting next to the rocking chair I was lounging on and stood up, tossing the hoodie over my shoulder. "Sure, I've been glued to this porch all morning. I think we all need to get some exersize," I grinned at him even though he couldn't see it.

"Let's go," I called, already jogging towards the stairs, snapping my wings out as soon as I hit the cool air. I heard Iggy's footsteps behind me as he also stretched his wings and leaped into the air. "Wait for me!" he shouted. I slowed a little until I felt his fingers delicately brush my ankle.

I stroked powerfully downward and was almost instantly a good fifty feet up. Man, I would NEVER get over the feeling of soaring thousands of feet up in the bright blue sky, feeling the cool wind whip my hair.

As I gained altitude, I spied my flock; Nudge, her dark skin standing out against the clouds, Gazzy, his permanently spiky blonde hair sticking up messily from his head, and Fang, his huge black wings flapping easily as he hovered while holding Angel, my blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby, Gazzy's younger sister.

"Hey, guys!" I called, waving at them. Angel and Fang looked up first, and Angel grinned widely and waved back, her eyes glinting merrily.

"Max!" She hopped out of Fang's arms and sped toward me, reaching out to cling to my neck as I swept her up in a big hug. "So can we go swimming? Please? Gazzy says the pond's HUGE."

I chuckled as she smiled sweetly, her sparkly eyes boring into mine, that look she got when she really wanted something. "Alright, okay, Ange. But..."

Immediately, the flock groaned in unison. Gazzy whined, "But Maaaax! We already know the rules! Can't we just go?" Nudge nodded in agreement. Fang just sat there, watching me. I tingled a little under his stare.

I gave Gazzy a hard glare, and he squirmed a little. "Gaz, you know as well as I do that no matter how many times I go over them, you never actually FOLLOW them. Besides, you remember last time, don't you?"

He flushed a bit, but barged on. "I know! But I won't do it again, I promise! Please, please?" He clasped his hands together and cocked his head to the side, making Bambi eyes at me.

I crossed my arms and stared him down. "That face doesn't work on me anymore," I deadpanned.

He hung his head. "But... It was an accident, Max." Then he perked up. "Pond weed and mud looks good in your hair, anyway. Gives you a kind of 'fresh out of the spa' look," he grinned sheepishly.

I growled. "Keep it up, buddy, and we won't go swimming for the rest of the year. Now, let's go," I turned and plummeted down to gain speed, then swept upwards while flapping my wings hard, heading towards the backyard. The flock swirled around me on both sides, laughing and whirling around in big circles. I was so happy for them then. They were enjoying themselves for the first time in a while, which was very rare for any of us, as we were always on the run.

Wait, didn't you know? Oh yeah, that's right, you read weird.

We're constantly chased by Erasers, killer human-wolf hybrids designed by mad scientists we like to call Whitecoats, to track us down for them. To make a long story short, the Whitecoats wanted us to experiment on. Let's just say that's why Iggy was blind.

Now we lived with my mom, Dr. Martinez, and her daughter, my half sister, Ella, in their cabin in Arizona. So, now that we had basically less to worry about, actually living somewhere and having more protection (not to mention Mom cooks extremely well), we were a little more carefree and happy. Well the FLOCK was more carefree and happy. I, on the other hand, was always tense and anticipating a surprise attack from any new mutants the Whitecoats had developed. 'Cuz, you know, that's just me.

As I daydreamed, the rest of the flock slowly passed me without my noticing until Nudge let out a shriek of laughter when Gazzy whapped her with his wing.

"Tag-a-feather!" He shouted, turning to zoom towards Angel, who had a mischievous grin on her face.

I reached up to tiredly rub my temples.

That's when I felt the hand grip my ankle.

Without turning, I jerked my other knee up and brought it down hard, feeling the sole of my sneaker barely brush the hand that quickly released its hold. "Geez, Max, remind me to never sneak up on you," a familiar voice said behind me.

I whipped around, knowing instantly who I'd see. "Dammit, Fang! I would've knocked your freaking teeth out," I snapped, but when he gave me a lopsided grin I couldn't help but smile in the tiniest bit, my cheeks warming.

"Well, I wanted to spend some time... with you," he said solemnly, peering up at me through his lashes, his dark hair lashing around his olive-skinned face. My heart thudded against my chest when he looked at me like that.

He gave his glossy black wings an extra beat and glided next to me, our feathers brushing with each flap. I tucked an annoying piece of stray dark blonde hair behind my ear and giggled. "Because who CAN'T get enough of me?"

Fang grinned. "Me, for starters." He reached over and took my hand, and a furious blush swept across my cheeks. He noticed and chuckled. "And apparently it's the same for you with me."

I snorted. "You wish. So, have y-" I was silenced by his mouth, for lack of a better explanation, because he had, without my noticing, inched closer and closer to me while managing to angle his wings so they didn't off-balance mine.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and gently drew me into his body, and I almost forgot to flap to stay aloft. We beat our wings in sync, rising and falling together.

I mumbled around our connected mouths. "Fang, they'll see-"

"Who cares? We shouldn't hide it from them anymore." That said, he brushed my hair out of my eyes and cradled my face in his rough, calloused hands. I gasped as he pressed forward, tilting his head to kiss me deeper. 'Oh god,' I thought. 'I can't ever get enough of this.'

Revved up with passion and joy, I flung my arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer, as close as he could possibly get to me without breaking our flight. He made an appreciative noise and complied, running his fingers through my tangled hair. At long last, after what seemed to be only a few seconds, I still wanted more. But Fang gently broke us apart and tipped my head up with a finger so we were eye-level. I stared deep into his eyes, and he into mine. It was freaking amazing, just watching his beautiful, Fangful face.

"I love you, Max. I know you know that, right?" He murmured.

I didn't even hesitate. "Of course. And I love you too, Fang." It warmed my heart to hear him utter those very rare words. It was the second time he'd ever said it to me, since my seventeenth birthday last year. So, yeah, I knew our relationship MEANT something, you know?

I sat up in a massive sycamore tree, cooling off in the shade of the huge leaves, and watched the flock have the time of their lives. They were splashing and whooping and dive-bombing and breathing under water. Right, more on that last one later.

Nudge was lying flat on her back with her wings spread out on either side to keep afloat, arms crossed behind her head, eyes closed, enjoying the sun. Fang wanted to go back to the cabin, using the underrated excuse 'Sun hurts my eyes, don't want to get sunburn.' The weenie.

Angel was diving under the surface, most likely searching for fish to talk to. Every time she went under I used all my self-restraint not to panic and go after her when she failed to resurface after ten minutes. But yeah, we all breathe under water, so no biggie. We were programmed to upgrade at random times, actually. Yeah, I know- we already have WINGS, for Pete's sake, so what other skills could we possibly develop? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I have only one skill that I'm familiar with, really. I can fly at speeds of over two hundred miles per hour when I put my mind to it. Fang, always the Prince of Darkness, can blend into his surroundings when he stays still. It's freaking annoying, especially when he uses it to his advantage, like when he jumps out and scares the living crud out of you.

Gazzy has only the one he was named after... Oh God, do I even need to explain it to you? Let's see. Ever since he was small, his digestive system was screwed up. Like, he'd... you know... let one rip. A lot. And it smelled worse than you could ever imagine. No kidding. And now, they just decided to upgrade his power into making it stronger. STRONGER! When he farted, a massive, dark-green sulfurous-colored mushroom cloud erupted out of his behind. And let me tell you, it could really incapacitate an army.

Iggy had one skill we were familiar with so far, like me. Although he was blind, if he touched something he could tell exactly what color it was. Like, one time Mom bought us all pizza and he asked for a refill of soda after he ate. When Gazzy handed him the wrong cup, Iggy spoke up, saying it wasn't the right color. Everyone acted casual, even though I knew very well that they were all tensed up and stunned. I asked, "Which one is yours, Iggy?" and he said it was the blue one. Well, yeah, that was a shocker. Trust me, it can get kind of annoying when he goes on a mass color-naming spree around the house.

Nudge had a few cool powers up her sleeve. She can draw anything made of metal towards her. And my favorite, the one that allowed her to be able to 'see' what had happened to something just by touching it. Like, she could basically see into the history, not the future, if you know what I mean. For example, one time we tried to hack into a computer for information on this one institute called Itex, but we couldn't get past the password and were totally failing at it when Nudge came up and just randomly put her hand on the screen and sat there and concentrated for a while. Then she started spouting out different numbers and letters for us to type in, and I was like, 'Woah! Nudge developed an awesome new skill!'

Now, I saved the best for last... Angel. She freaking hit the JACKPOT with all of her crazy skills. First of all, she can read minds. Oh, did I mention that she can control them too? And she can talk to fish. Once she told a shark to wave at us. And get this... It actually did. In my opinion, the coolest skill she possesses is the ability to change her appearance. That is SO handy, too. The only ones I've seen her do were a tan, dark-haired Asian girl and a bird of paradise.

Right, so back to the story. I reclined back in my branch, relishing the cool, smooth bark beneath me. Man, it was freaking HOT today. I was nodding off when I heard a huge splash and a squeal of surprise from Nudge. I shot up and peered down, expecting to see, I dunno, maybe Erasers?

Iggy and Gazzy had, against my rules, dive-bombed AGAIN. They were just now popping their slick little heads up out of the rippling water, settling after they'd dove. Iggy hollered, "Aw yeah! That was AWESOME!" He held up his hand for a high-five and a wildly grinning Gazzy slapped him one.

Angrier than a nest of disturbed hornets, I leaped up. "Iggy! Gazzy! What they hell did I say?!"

Gazzy, unfazed by my anger, glanced up at me, his huge smile threatening to eat up his face. "Max! Did you see that!? It was... So cool!" Iggy nodded enthusiastically, glittering water droplets spinning away from his matted hair.

"Come on, Max, we're having fun. And even though I can't see your face, I bet it's redder than a tomato, am I right?" He burst out laughing, Gazzy giggling madly.

My face heated up. My fists clenched so tight they hurt. Oh, that was IT. "Iggy... Gazzy... Get. Out. NOW." I hissed through my teeth.

I saw them both freeze, fear shading their once happy features. Then Iggy started swimming toward the shore, Gazzy following more slowly, his eyes set wide with agitation. As they climbed out of the water, I leaped down to the ground, wings halfway unfolded to create a more threatening stance. I stalked over to meet them, and Gazzy cringed a little when I loomed above him.

"Guess what?" I asked pleasantly.

Iggy, confused, glanced up slowly. "...What...?" He ventured.

"YOU ARE NEVER GOING SWIMMING AGAIN!" I hollered, waving my arms for emphasis. "I can't believe-" I stopped, rethinking. "No, actually I can believe you disobeyed me. But I can't believe you really did it knowing I wouldn't let you go swimming for the rest of the year. Besides that, I have a few choice words of advice for the both of you..."

I paused, letting their anxiety sink in before continuing.

"Next time you think it's a good idea to go against my rules, you won't have a chance to even think twice before I twist your wings behind your backs so hard you won't be able to fly for the next five weeks," I informed them cheerfully, my words oozing with honey.

Even though their heads were lowered, I saw their eyes slowly widen to the size of tiny moons. Iggy looked ill; Gaz was pale. I noted this with cold satisfaction.

"Now, unless you'd like us to cart your feathered butts around everywhere we go while you wait for your wings to heal, I'd suggest you follow my rules next time. IF there is a next time," I added with quiet menace.

The pair nodded stiffly, Gazzy whispering hoarsely, "Okay, Max. We won't do it again. Sorry." Iggy made a small noise of agreement.

I sighed in relent, a small smile betraying my releasing tension. "You know what? I forgive you. Just this once, though. Now dry off and let's go back to the cabin. I'm starving." I turned and called to Nudge, who was standing on the opposite shore, wringing her hair out, looking aggravated and sopping wet. "Hey, Nudge! We're going back to the cabin. You hungry?"

She glanced up at me, her anger subsiding a little. "I am, now that you mention it," she muttered, glaring at Iggy and Gazzy, her stringy hair hanging around her face. She gathered her towel and started walking around the pond toward us.

Angel, I saw, was crouching on the edge of the pond, staring into the water. Probably looking for more fish to talk to or something.

"Angel!" I shouted. She didn't even move her head, let alone acknowledge I had said anything. "ANGEL!" I hollered again. Still no response. What the heck? I knew she could hear me. It wasn't like her to ignore me.

I jogged over to her, sliding a little in the soft warm mud. When I reached her, my presence didn't seem to alert her, and she looked strange.

"...Angel...?" I trailed off.

Her golden hair was matted to her head on one side, wet with a few pieces of pond weed stuck in it. The other side was frizzy and mostly dry, blowing gently in the breeze. Her face was a tad pale, her blue eyes wide and distant as she stared deep into the water. She swayed ever so slightly on her feet, and I saw that the lower half of her arms and legs were smeared with dried mud.

I bent down next to her, wary of putting my arm around her shoulders in case she was startled into lashing out. "Angel, sweetie...?" She jerked at my voice this time, blinking hard and gasping a little. She looked up at me.

"Max? What's wrong?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if she hadn't talked in a while.

I stared, puzzled, at her. "Um... I should be asking you the same thing, honey. You were just staring off into the water... What's the matter? Were you watching a fish?"

Angel seemed to drift off again, watching the opposite side of the pond. Then she shook her head a tiny bit. "No... No, I'm okay." She stood up then, wobbling, and I shot up and steadied her with a hand on each of her shoulders, my brow wrinkling in deep concern.

"Angel," I said firmly. She glanced up at me, startled. "You're acting weird. Something's wrong. What is it?"

She stiffened. "N-nothing," she whispered, little hands clenching. My heart jumped in my throat.

"Tell me," I said almost roughly. God, she was really scaring me. If she acted like this I knew something must be seriously wrong. She blinked a few times, and I saw the barest hint of a lone tear twinkle in her eye. "...Angel?"

Her face closed off, and she shut her eyes tight. She took a deep, shuddering breath. Her voice broke. "You're gonna die."


End file.
